What does a freezer full of underwear, 2,914 Nautical Miles and a little red rubber boat have in common? A remote island in the middle of the Pacific called Baker Island National Wildlife Refuge.

Planning:

The Dateline DX Association was founded in 1995 to mount a DXpedition to Wake Island. Two years later members again went to KH9, and in subsequent years members have operated from many places along the Dateline in the Pacific. Our previous Dxpedition, in 2009, was to Midway Island, also along the Dateline. During these trips we demonstrated to the relevant agencies our stewardship of the fragile ecosystems in these locations. In 2015, we contacted the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Pacific Island Refuges and Monuments Office, seeking permission to operate from Howland Island. After a year and a half we were asked to withdraw our application for Howland pending news of an opportunity for Baker Island National Wildlife Refuge (Baker), which we did. We also continued to work with USFWS on standards and suggestions for a compatibility determination.